1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the cutting of frozen food, and pertains more particularly to a method and apparatus for severing relatively thick portions from a plurality of columns or logs of frozen fish or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cutting off the ends of frozen fish logs or columns has been done for a number of years. Sometimes the logs or columns are sawed into portions having the desired thickness. However, when resorting to a sawing action, there results an appreciable amount of "sawdust" which, while reclaimable, nonetheless reduces the number of portions that can be obtained from each column or log.
While the so-called sawdust is not a complete loss, nonetheless it does not command the price that it would if it could be sold in intact portions. Therefore, power-operated cleavers or knives have been employed. One prior art apparatus known to us is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,867,858, granted on Feb. 25, 1975 to Tsuchiya et al. While this prior art apparatus has performed admirably in actual practice, it has a distinct disadvantage in that the severed portions of frozen fish are not uniformly oriented, or at least are not arranged in a pattern suitable for performing food processing operations thereon, such as breading and battering the severed product. Also, the apparatus just alluded to is somewhat limited to the rate at which the portions can be sliced from the frozen columns or logs of fish. Still further, the Tsuchiya et al apparatus is not capable of cutting off relatively thick portions, which are frequently desirable and which are used in so-called fishburgers.